i speak veganese
Hey, I haven’t burned the house down yet!Archive for Miscellany
Don’t Worry, I’m Still Vegan & There’s An App For That Too
The last post I wrote-a very long time ago-was about having doubts about what my health might look like down the road eating vegan. It seems that there’s a lot of contradictory information all over the web about it. And currently, I’m still the only person I know that is still vegan so it’s difficult to see anyone who is thriving eating this way. I, myself, catch a cold occasionally that is difficult for me to shake. Much more difficult than the next gal, usually. But, I was like that pre-vegan too so that doesn’t worry me.
I’m not seeing any really horrible health effects from eating vegan at all. And I may be making a small difference in some of the lives I touch. As a surprise, my husband, an omni to the core, took me to Horizons for my birthday. If you’ve never heard of them, Horizons is an excellent vegan restaurant in Philadelphia. If you ask most vegan in the area, it’s the best. It was my first time at an all vegan restaurant-and let me tell you, I know why they say it’s the best! That morning he asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told him some General Tso’s Tofu from Bamboo House (fine Japanese restaurante in Delaware). That’s where I thought we were going. But, I was pleasantly surprised by the change. The food was delicious! I ordered the tempeh tacos, the beach bake and three different desserts (of which all were fantastic). It was all so good! They have a recipe book that I plan on ordering from them soon. We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. But the greatest part of the dinner was when my husband said, “I could see doing this once a week.”
I took some pics from the night but it was a little too dark to get anything really good (as an amateur).
It was one of the greatest birthday gifts ever. I’m so desperate for a tempeh taco now I don’t know what to do!
So as far as staying vegan, that’s on the to-do list. As far as staying healthy as a vegan….still working on keeping that together. Fortunately for me, I happen to be an avid Apple iPod user. I have a 1G iPod touch that I use nearly everyday for nearly everything. Usually, if you want to know something or do something, “There’s an app for that.” Right now, I’m anxiously awaiting the update of Obsessive Code’s Food IQ. Food IQ is an application that keeps score of the foods that you eat, the exercises you do, the calories you consume, etc., etc., in one handy app. It works extremely well because the data base is so extensive. But the greatest thing about the update is that the app will now custom track the nutrients you desire. So, you can tailor it to specifically suit your diet-like the vegan diet. I can set it to track protein, calcium, B12, and all the other nutrients that are on the hot topic list for vegans. Becoming vegan just got a whole lot easier!
A Confession to Make
I must confess. I haven’t been late night snacking. No…I have been late night eating. I had put on four pounds in the past few weeks. It didn’t help that I was also eating out a lot-and not getting to the gym as much or for as long when I was able to go. I was eating so much, I was so heavy going the gym that when I did get there, I really wasn’t able to endure quite as long on the treadmill. So, this past week, I stopped the late night eating and if I couldn’t cook from home, I grabbed something quick to fix from the market (like a salad in a bag or a Smart Chili or something like that). I put a fruit basket in my studio and also a basket to hold some wheat bread. And because I was so exhausted after school these days, I got a panini maker. Best piece of cookware I’ve bought in a long time! Voila! Now I can cook something quick at home-and it tastes good too!
I made this panini using a Calphalon Panini Maker. I lightly oiled the pan with some olive oil and heated it up with medium heat. While the pan was heating, I sautéed and seasoned a few slices of portobello mushrooms, some slices of green, red, and yellow pepper, and some slices of green and yellow zucchini squash. I could have used the Panini Maker for that too, but it’s so new and shiny right now, it’s like almost sacred. Yeah, I’m weird that way. Anyway, I mixed a tablespoon and a half of tahini with two teaspoons of basalmic vinegar and spread that on some hearty slices of wheat bread. I assembled the sandwich, added some salt, pepper, and some nutritional yeast to make it a little cheesy tasting. I lightly oiled both sides of the bread with olive oil. Then I browned and pressed both sides in the Panini Maker. It was super yummy!! These take no more than fifteen minutes to assemble (including a veggie sauté) and less than ten minutes to make into a panini. The one drawback is I can’t put it in the dishwasher. But it only takes a few minutes. Then I’m eating vegan and off to getting on with the rest of my night…which these days includes a lot of sleeping when I can get it.
Boscov’s has these Panini Maker’s on sale in my area. Originally, they are $110. I got it for $49.99. Sweet! It works perfectly and browns evenly. I liked it so much I bought an electric panini maker for my studio. The paninis from it aren’t the greatest, but they’re healthier than going to get take-out on campus everyday.
To make a long story short, I lost those four pounds in one week by reversing those bad habits. Not a bad return for some small adjustments. It’s hard trying to stay fit, stay in school, and be a vegan. These are the ways I cope. Hey, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do.
